Kim Harvey claims victory in Bontreger twentyfour12 endurance race

Held in Plympton, Devon, competitors battled to complete as many laps of the 14km off-road terrain track as possible and Harvey topped the female solo competition after finishing a total of 13 laps.

She also finished in the top ten overall, beating many of the male competitors.

The former teacher, from Fishponds, said: "The conditions were horrendous, but it's a massive achievement"

Harvey received help from both the Bristol Road Club and the Bristol Mountain Biking Club and added: "They were both excellent in helping me prepare for the event.

"I also need to mention my pit crew, who were fantastic, and especially my other half Nathan, who cleaned my bike after every lap and supported me all the way.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without him."

Harvey, who has a degree in sports science, developed her own training program, which included both road cycling and mountain biking, and she also endured a strict diet for two weeks leading up to the event.

Harvey has always been involved in sport, competing in ironman triathlons and three-day eventing alongside mountain biking. And in memory of fellow mountain-biker Alex Kaiser, who died earlier this year, she set up The Kaiser Club, a holiday programme at Leigh Woods where youngsters can join Harvey from 9:30am until 2pm every Tuesday and Thursday.

She said: "This is something I'm very passionate about. I want to get more kids into mountain biking."

She has also set up women only classes for all abilities and added: "I have always wanted to get more women into mountain biking and this is my chance "